While Horford and McRoberts are indeed two interior players who are very much in line with Henson's tactical requirements, the Pacers can sometimes expose their lack of rim protection.

Especially McRoberts, who was often caught and beaten by the other party. The Pacers lost to the Lakers twice this season, and in addition to Kobe Bryant's really good play, another reason was that the Pacers couldn't limit the Lakers' twin towers.

But if you have a center who is good at protecting the rim and can run and jump without slowing down the team's offensive tempo, this problem will be solved.

Chris. Anderson is undoubtedly a perfect candidate.

"Anderson is getting more and more off the court, which makes Crazy Carl unhappy. In recent games, he has begun to cut back Anderson's playing time. Anderson averaged 22 minutes per game last season, but this season his playing time has plummeted to 16 minutes. Russian center Mozgov is playing more and more minutes, which shows that Anderson is losing the trust of the head coach with the Nuggets. Vivek did a lot of homework on Anderson, and sure enough, as Bird commented, Vivek is different from Herbert in that he is a very good basketball owner.

"Anderson has several years left on his contract with the Nuggets, and the only way we can get him is through a trade. But let's be honest, George. Carl: He's sure to open his mouth. If we didn't say yes, he wouldn't trade Anderson even if he put him on the water cooler. "Henson knows George well. Karl's style of doing things, he doesn't do anything at a loss except for Anthony.

As for Anthony, even if the Knicks or the Nets don't give the Nuggets anything, Karl wants Anthony to leave early.

"Anderson does have a few years left on his contract with the Nuggets, but what if the Nuggets can't fulfill the rest of Anderson's contract? A new round of collective bargaining is underway, and I have been there for a few meetings. The new amnesty clause is very concerned to me. If a team is unhappy with a player, they can pardon a player before the season starts. Regardless of how many years the player has left on his contract with the team, his salary will not be counted towards the team's salary cap. ”

"You're saying that with patience, we can just sign Chris next summer, without any chips. Anderson! "Henson is smart and he is well aware of the relationship between this new clause and Anderson.

"That's right, you know Carl Sr., if Anderson continues to make such a fuss, the Nuggets will most likely pardon him." Vivek nodded approvingly, the most comfortable thing about talking to Henson was that it didn't take much effort. As long as you are casual, he will understand.

"But if that's the case, we'll have to wait until next season to see Chris. Anderson wears a corn-yellow jersey. ”

"So what? Building a team isn't something that can be done overnight. You can start looking for the players you want from now on, and when the collective bargaining is over, I'm sure the free agent market will be in disarray. When the time comes, I don't want my money to go down the drain or go down the drain. ”

Vivek's words made Henson smile. Because of the passage just now, you can understand it as: "Next summer's free agent market, you can just let go and sign." I'll worry about money! ”

"By the way, there's one more thing." Vivek picked up his knife and fork and prepared to start, but suddenly he remembered something.

"Chris. Paul seems to want the Hornets to trade himself, and while it hasn't been made public, there are already rumors. The Hornets have been in turmoil lately, with the owner peddling the team and Paul's early contract extension not coming down. A lot of teams are already preparing their chips, after all, Paul is one of the best defenders in the league. Do you think we have any chance in this matter? ”

"Chris. Paul? Henson looked at Vivek in surprise, he never thought his team would have anything to do with Paul.

※※※

After Christmas Eve dinner, the father and daughter took their leave. Originally, Henson thought that he was going to spend this Christmas alone, but he didn't expect to spend a holiday in his own home that could make him feel warm all winter.

That night, though, Henson didn't sleep well all night, and his mind was full of Chris. Paul's thing.

If Vivek is right, it would be a great opportunity for the Pacers to earn a superstar. But if he wants to get Paul, Henson will inevitably have to send his beloved player away. Maybe it's Granger, maybe it's Horford, maybe it's anyone......

This is not an NBA2K game in which Henson will trade players with impunity. But in the face of living people, trading is not a cold data exchange.

On one side is the league's strongest point guard, and on the other side is his own beloved disciple. The palms and backs of his hands were full of meat, making Henson toss and turn and couldn't sleep.

Henson decided to put this matter aside for now, after all, there are still no rumors about Paul wanting to be traded......

※※※

The following day, Henson spent a day with Angeli in Indianapolis. It wasn't until the 25th that Henson returned to the team.

Angelie's Christmas break wasn't over yet, so she stayed at Henson's house for a while.

On the 25th, on the afternoon of Christmas, the team resumed training. Henson wears a conspicuous white scarf around his neck, a Christmas gift from Angeli. On the training ground, several people have already started to shoot to warm up. After seeing Henson, everyone was also very enthusiastic.

"Merry Christmas, Chief!"

"Hello, Coach, how's Christmas going?"

Henson also greeted everyone and was pleased that the players hadn't caused him any trouble during this time, especially Stephenson.

However, as soon as training began, Henson's original happy mood was instantly swept away. Because after a few days off, the players seem to be in very bad shape.

Young teams always face all sorts of problems, and one of them is the frequent ups and downs in form. After all, young people don't know how to adjust themselves like the old fritters. After a few days of indulgence, even Holiday and George, who have been working extremely hard, are very angry.

Henson thought the players would be able to adjust immediately when they played the next day. But as it turns out, things are not as simple as they imagined.

On December 26, after Christmas, the invading Memphis Grizzlies slaughtered the Indiana Pacers 104-90 at the Conseco Arena. No fan would have imagined that the Pacers, who had been boosted before Christmas, would dedicate them a big defeat after Christmas.

The game went into the rhythm of the Memphis from the start, and Mark. Gasol and Zach. Randolph's two strong interior lines made the Pacers defenseless, and the two of them combined to score 19 points in the first quarter! Gasol's high smash and Randolph's tonnage left Horford and Granger tormented in the three-second zone.

Under the leadership of the "Black and White Bears", the Grizzlies' outside group began to exert their power in the second quarter. Since Henson asked the defense to shrink, Rudy. Guy, Conley, Mayo and others, as if they had all been unlocked, mid-range shots, three-pointers, fast breaks, everything.

In comparison, the Pacers did a pretty poor first quarter. Holiday flew around the court like a fly without a head, and it was clear from his shooting and dribbling that the guy was completely out of shape, missing all four shots in the first quarter and scoring no points.

Although the team leader Granger is full of energy, in the face of the Grizzlies' interior gate Randolph, Granger is like a fluffy cake, easily squashed by the steely Randolph. He tried to dunk twice, but was eventually fanned out by Randolph.

The Pacers' poor hand spread like a contagion to every player on the court, and the players wasted a lot of really good chances, whether it was a quick counter-attack or an open shot. Even Dunleavy, who has been playing steadily, was in a mess today. The low shooting percentage made the Pacers' best offensive method completely ineffective, and Henson had to watch the team be slaughtered by the Grizzlies at home.

After the game, Grizzlies coach Lionel . Hollins shook hands with Henson with a smile on his face, and didn't forget to say to Henson: "Here's a suggestion for you, coach." I have to say, you can't shoot to solve the problem of attacking in the low post. ”

Hollins' words may have been just a kind reminder, but the reporters' siege after the game was quite vicious.

The Pacers' low shooting percentage in this game happened to choke Henson's shot, which could make the media make a big fuss.

"The Pacers died tonight from a lack of efficient and consistent offensive means, and when their three-point shooting was dumb, the situation on the court was a bit ugly. Relying on Horford's back-to-back offense is a bit insignificant, after all, he is a small center, and he can't be like Mark. Gasol can do enough kills or attract a lot of packs to create opportunities for his teammates. Coach Henson's magic may be coming to an end here. ”

"You can't win a game with shooting alone, and the Grizzlies and Hollins certainly gave Coach Henson a vivid moment."

"Coach Henson's unconventional tactical set-up has finally taught him and his team a lesson. How to deal with the Pacers? It's simple, you just need to send two big men who can play low post and you're guaranteed to win. ”

The loss to the Grizzlies crushed the interior line, so that Henson was pushed to the forefront for a while. In the midst of everyone's doubts, only two people stood by Henson and said a few words for him. One is Pacers president Larry. Bird, one is Pacers small owner Vivek. Lanadivi.

But this kind of standing in line to excuse oneself is obviously not convincing.

In the dressing room after the game, Henson was furious and criticised the players who had completely lost their form because of the holiday.

But the next day, the players were still in poor training and the training atmosphere didn't seem to be so good.

Reality is that it's not an NBA2K game. If you want to really lead these living players, it seems that it is not enough to know what they are good at and to formulate tactics.

How to solve this problem now? Henson scratched his head, feeling overwhelmed for the first time since he became head coach.